CHAPTER 4. Lignin Modification to Reduce the Recalcitrance of Biomass Processing

2013 ◽  
pp. 37-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bassem B. Hallac ◽  
Arthur J. Ragauskas
Keyword(s):  
Lignin Modification ◽  
Biomass Processing

Microwave-Assisted Decarbonylation of Biomass-Derived Aldehydes Using Pd-Doped Hydrotalcites

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan An ◽  
Diana Ainembabazi ◽  
Kavya Samudrala ◽  
Christopher Reid ◽  
Kare Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heterogeneous Catalysts ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Mulliken Charge ◽  
Metal Leaching ◽  
Carbonyl Carbon ◽  
Mild Conditions ◽  
Microwave Assisted ◽  
Biomass Processing ◽  
Alcohol Dehydrogenation

<p>Here we report the synthesis, characterization and activity of tunable Pd-doped hydrotalcites (Pd-HTs) for the decarbonylation of furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes under microwave conditions. The decarbonylation activity reported is a notable improvement over prior heterogeneous catalysts for this process. Furfural decarbonylation is optimized in a benign solvent compatible with biomass processing - ethanol, under relatively mild conditions and short reaction times. HMF selectively affords excellent yields of furfuryl alcohol with no humin formation, but longer reaction can also afford furan via tandem alcohol dehydrogenation and decarbonylation. Yields of substituted benzaldehydes are related to calculated Mulliken charge of the carbonyl carbon. The activity and selectivity differences can be traced to loading-dependent differences in Pd speciation on the catalysts. Poisoning studies show inverse correlation between Pd loading and metal leaching: Pd-HTs with lowest Pd loading, which consist of highly dispersed and oxidized Pd species, operate heterogeneously with negligible metal leaching. Recycling experiments are consistent with this trend, offering potential for further optimization to improve robustness.</p>

scholarly journals Two-step functional screen on multiple proteinaceous substrates reveals temperature-robust proteases with a broad-substrate range

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio García-Moyano ◽  
Yuleima Diaz ◽  
José Navarro ◽  
David Almendral ◽  
Pål Puntervoll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Recombinant Expression ◽  
Skim Milk ◽  
In Silico Analysis ◽  
Prolonged Incubation ◽  
Genomic Libraries ◽  
Functional Screen ◽  
Biomass Processing ◽  
Screening Parameter ◽  
Marine Metagenome ◽  
Functional Screens

Abstract To support the bio-based industry in development of environment-friendly processes and products, an optimal toolbox of biocatalysts is key. Although functional screen of (meta)genomic libraries may potentially contribute to identifying new enzymes, the discovery of new enzymes meeting industry compliance demands is still challenging. This is particularly noticeable in the case of proteases, for which the reports of metagenome-derived proteases with industrial applicability are surprisingly limited. Indeed, proteolytic clones have been typically assessed by its sole activity on casein or skim milk and limited to mild screening conditions. Here, we demonstrate the use of six industry-relevant animal and plant by-products, namely bone, feather, blood meals, gelatin, gluten, and zein, as complementary substrates in functional screens and show the utility of temperature as a screening parameter to potentially discover new broad-substrate range and robust proteases for the biorefinery industry. By targeting 340,000 clones from two libraries of pooled isolates of mesophilic and thermophilic marine bacteria and two libraries of microbial communities inhabiting marine environments, we identified proteases in four of eleven selected clones that showed activity against all substrates herein tested after prolonged incubation at 55 °C. Following sequencing, in silico analysis and recombinant expression in Escherichia coli, one functional protease, 58% identical at sequence level to previously reported homologs, was found to readily hydrolyze highly insoluble zein at temperatures up to 50 °C and pH 9–11. It is derived from a bacterial group whose ability to degrade zein was unknown. This study reports a two-step screen resulting in identification of a new marine metagenome-derived protease with zein-hydrolytic properties at common biomass processing temperatures that could be useful for the modern biorefinery industry. Key points • A two-step multi-substrate strategy for discovery of robust proteases. • Feasible approach for shortening enzyme optimization to industrial demands. • A new temperature-tolerant protease efficiently hydrolyzes insoluble zein.

scholarly journals Comparison of Corn Stover Pretreatments with Lewis Acid Catalyzed Choline Chloride, Glycerol and Choline Chloride-Glycerol Deep Eutectic Solvent

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1170
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhu ◽  
Benkun Qi ◽  
Xinquan Liang ◽  
Jianquan Luo ◽  
Yinhua Wan
Keyword(s):  
Corn Stover ◽  
Lewis Acid ◽  
Choline Chloride ◽  
Deep Eutectic Solvent ◽  
Enzymatic Saccharification ◽  
Glycerol Solution ◽  
Cellulose Conversion ◽  
Biomass Processing ◽  
Acid Catalyzed ◽  
Highly Correlated

Herein, corn stover (CS) was pretreated by less corrosive lewis acid FeCl3 acidified solutions of neat and aqueous deep eutectic solvent (DES), aqueous ChCl and glycerol at 120 °C for 4 h with single FeCl3 pretreatment as control. It was unexpected that acidified solutions of both ChCl and glycerol were found to be more efficient at removing lignin and xylan, leading to higher enzymatic digestibility of pretreated CS than acidified DES. Comparatively, acidified ChCl solution exhibited better pretreatment performance than acidified glycerol solution. In addition, 20 wt% water in DES dramatically reduced the capability of DES for delignification and xylan removal and subsequent enzymatic cellulose saccharification of pretreated CS. Correlation analysis showed that enzymatic saccharification of pretreated CS was highly correlated to delignification and cellulose crystallinity, but lowly correlated to xylan removal. Recyclability experiments of different acidified pretreatment solutions showed progressive decrease in the pretreatment performance with increasing recycling runs. After four cycles, the smallest decrease in enzymatic cellulose conversion (22.07%) was observed from acidified neat DES pretreatment, while the largest decrease (43.80%) was from acidified ChCl pretreatment. Those findings would provide useful information for biomass processing with ChCl, glycerol and ChCl-glycerol DES.

scholarly journals New Method for Identifying Fungal Kingdom Enzyme Hotspots from Genome Sequences

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 207
Author(s):  
Lene Lange ◽  
Kristian Barrett ◽  
Anne S. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Species ◽  
Fungal Genome ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Carbohydrate Active Enzymes ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Fungal Enzyme ◽  
Biomass Processing ◽  
Fungal Genomes ◽  
Robust Prediction ◽  
Fungal Kingdom

Fungal genome sequencing data represent an enormous pool of information for enzyme discovery. Here, we report a new approach to identify and quantitatively compare biomass-degrading capacity and diversity of fungal genomes via integrated function-family annotation of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) encoded by the genomes. Based on analyses of 1932 fungal genomes the most potent hotspots of fungal biomass processing CAZymes are identified and ranked according to substrate degradation capacity. The analysis is achieved by a new bioinformatics approach, Conserved Unique Peptide Patterns (CUPP), providing for CAZyme-family annotation and robust prediction of molecular function followed by conversion of the CUPP output to lists of integrated “Function;Family” (e.g., EC 3.2.1.4;GH5) enzyme observations. An EC-function found in several protein families counts as different observations. Summing up such observations allows for ranking of all analyzed genome sequenced fungal species according to richness in CAZyme function diversity and degrading capacity. Identifying fungal CAZyme hotspots provides for identification of fungal species richest in cellulolytic, xylanolytic, pectinolytic, and lignin modifying enzymes. The fungal enzyme hotspots are found in fungi having very different lifestyle, ecology, physiology and substrate/host affinity. Surprisingly, most CAZyme hotspots are found in enzymatically understudied and unexploited species. In contrast, the most well-known fungal enzyme producers, from where many industrially exploited enzymes are derived, are ranking unexpectedly low. The results contribute to elucidating the evolution of fungal substrate-digestive CAZyme profiles, ecophysiology, and habitat adaptations, and expand the knowledge base for novel and improved biomass resource utilization.

Biomass Processing via Mechanochemical Means

2021 ◽  
pp. 343-365
Author(s):  
George Margoutidis ◽  
Francesca M. Kerton
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Processing

scholarly journals Diverse Banana Pseudostems and Rachis Are Distinctive for Edible Carbohydrates and Lignocellulose Saccharification towards High Bioethanol Production under Chemical and Liquid Hot Water Pretreatments

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 3870
Author(s):  
Jingyang Li ◽  
Fei Liu ◽  
Hua Yu ◽  
Yuqi Li ◽  
Shiguang Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soluble Sugars ◽  
Enzymatic Saccharification ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Bioenergy Crops ◽  
Bioethanol Production ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Liquid Hot Water ◽  
Biomass Processing ◽  
Banana Crops

Banana is a major fruit crop throughout the world with abundant lignocellulose in the pseudostem and rachis residues for biofuel production. In this study, we collected a total of 11 pseudostems and rachis samples that were originally derived from different genetic types and ecological locations of banana crops and then examined largely varied edible carbohydrates (soluble sugars, starch) and lignocellulose compositions. By performing chemical (H2SO4, NaOH) and liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatments, we also found a remarkable variation in biomass enzymatic saccharification and bioethanol production among all banana samples examined. Consequently, this study identified a desirable banana (Refen1, subgroup Pisang Awak) crop containing large amounts of edible carbohydrates and completely digestible lignocellulose, which could be combined to achieve the highest bioethanol yields of 31–38% (% dry matter), compared with previously reported ones in other bioenergy crops. Chemical analysis further indicated that the cellulose CrI and lignin G-monomer should be two major recalcitrant factors affecting biomass enzymatic saccharification in banana pseudostems and rachis. Therefore, this study not only examined rich edible carbohydrates for food in the banana pseudostems but also detected digestible lignocellulose for bioethanol production in rachis tissue, providing a strategy applicable for genetic breeding and biomass processing in banana crops.

scholarly journals Targeting hydroxycinnamoyl CoA: shikimate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase for lignin modification in Brachypodium distachyon

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Serrani-Yarce ◽  
Luis Escamilla-Trevino ◽  
Jaime Barros ◽  
Lina Gallego-Giraldo ◽  
Yunqiao Pu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Lignin Content ◽  
Brachypodium Distachyon ◽  
Lignin Biosynthesis ◽  
Reverse Direction ◽  
Wall Structure ◽  
Kinetic Properties ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Down Regulation ◽  
Lignin Modification

Abstract Background Hydroxycinnamoyl CoA: shikimate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HCT) is a central enzyme of the so-called “esters” pathway to monolignols. As originally envisioned, HCT functions twice in this pathway, to form coumaroyl shikimate and then, in the “reverse” direction, to convert caffeoyl shikimate to caffeoyl CoA. The discovery of a caffeoyl shikimate esterase (CSE) that forms caffeic acid directly from caffeoyl shikimate calls into question the need for the reverse HCT reaction in lignin biosynthesis. Loss of function of HCT gives severe growth phenotypes in several dicot plants, but less so in some monocots, questioning whether this enzyme, and therefore the shikimate shunt, plays the same role in both monocots and dicots. The model grass Brachypodium distachyon has two HCT genes, but lacks a classical CSE gene. This study was therefore conducted to evaluate the utility of HCT as a target for lignin modification in a species with an “incomplete” shikimate shunt. Results The kinetic properties of recombinant B. distachyon HCTs were compared with those from Arabidopsis thaliana, Medicago truncatula, and Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) for both the forward and reverse reactions. Along with two M. truncatula HCTs, B. distachyon HCT2 had the least kinetically unfavorable reverse HCT reaction, and this enzyme is induced when HCT1 is down-regulated. Down regulation of B. distachyon HCT1, or co-down-regulation of HCT1 and HCT2, by RNA interference led to reduced lignin levels, with only modest changes in lignin composition and molecular weight. Conclusions Down-regulation of HCT1, or co-down-regulation of both HCT genes, in B. distachyon results in less extensive changes in lignin content/composition and cell wall structure than observed following HCT down-regulation in dicots, with little negative impact on biomass yield. Nevertheless, HCT down-regulation leads to significant improvements in biomass saccharification efficiency, making this gene a preferred target for biotechnological improvement of grasses for bioprocessing.

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